perkizitore wrote:I expect you to treat our purchasing capabilities with more respect.
Well,
your "purchasing capabilities" are apparently nonexistent, or at least that's what you told me when you sent me a sob story about how you're a poor student (with a Blu-ray player?) and couldn't afford to pay the £150 minimum. And if you remember the context of that particular conversation, you'll understand why I'm not especially inclined to treat you with
any respect - at least not until you've earned it back.
Lazertron wrote:I second that and when I heard about that discount promotion, I shook my head in disbelief. As I do understand, that most of the BFI line up is niche product and sells in pretty limited numbers, and the BFI also is a company that has to earn money and maybe won't get excessive UK governmental sponsoring all the time, dumping the entire product line like some 3rd class C-movie product won't have my approval.
There's no question of "dumping the entire product line". It's a strictly time-limited promotion requiring a minimum outlay of £150.
It's also entirely characteristic of the BFI's current Blu-ray strategy, which I trust you'll agree is certainly the most adventurous of any UK distributor, and possibly the most adventurous of anyone worldwide. But, as you say, this is a niche market with a vengeance - which means that aggressive promotional strategies are occasionally deemed necessary.
Presumably the thinking is that this might encourage waverers to take the plunge and become Blu-ray compatible - which will in turn increase the size of the user base and therefore make it more likely that the BFI will continue to take similar risks. Which as an early supporter I trust you'll agree is something to be encouraged?
I bought each and every Blu-ray the BFI released through Amazon.co.uk, but cancelled all pre-orders now (Institute Benjamenta, The Innocents, The Leopard), because as I don't have to mourn over money, I also find that a that huge discount so early is a slap in the face to us early birds and supporters of the BFI Blu-ray line. Such huge discounts have, in my knowledge, never been offered for releases by Criterion and other quality lines.
Actually, Moviemail frequently offers similar discounts - you can get some real bargains if you visit the site regularly (I've picked up loads of Artificial Eye, MoC and Studio Ghibli titles at a knock-down price over the last few months), and I can't recall any other deal requiring a minimum three-figure outlay.
Factual quibbling aside, I obviously can see where you're coming from - but if you apply that kind of thinking across the board, you'll never buy
anything early, because in 99% of cases it'll always be available cheaper at a later date (most exceptions being stuff that goes OOP very quickly). I cynically decided not to buy
Heimat at full RRP, waiting for the price to drop by 50% - it eventually did. Similarly, I haven't yet bought the Beckett On Film box set, as I'm waiting for a similar discount. On the other hand, there are other titles that I'll buy on the day of release, because my keenness to see them as soon as possible outweighs my instinctive stinginess.
What will I learn from that case? Strictly no new purchases through regular channels - just waiting for a "wildly unlikely" discount and if it needs to wait till the end of 2010.
Just to clarify, the phrase "wildly unlikely" referred to the chances of anyone revealing future marketing plans before a current promotion had expired, not to the likelihood of future discounts. Obviously there will be other discounts at some point, but that's true of any company that has to keep an eye on the way the market's going in order to stay in business. Especially if it specialises in niche product.
